Friday, August 28, 2015

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada says it's filing a lawsuit challenging the state's new, record-breaking school choice law.

The law allows any parent with a child in public school to withdraw his or her kid and use state money toward tuition at religious, private schools.

The ACLU says that goes against Nevada's constitution, which bars public funds from being used for sectarian purposes. The organization is seeking an injunction to stop the program's implementation.

Nuts and Bolts of Nevada's Education Savings Accounts

This summer, Nevada lawmakers passed an expansive school choice program with the most generous eligibility requirements in the country: All students enrolled in public school can enroll in the program.

The state will place money in education savings accounts that parents can use to pay for tuition at a private school, including those that are religiously affiliated, or buy materials for home schooling. Parents could even use the money to mix and match courses and services from private and public sources to create a customized education for their children.

The last paragraph is enticing. What could be better than "a customized education" controlled by parents? Except: this is a money laundering scheme. It gives public money to parents who then give the money to private, religious schools. The scheme is designed to circumvent Nevada's constitutional prohibition against public funding of religious schools. We need to keep the pressure on in AZ to limit this laundering that gives our tax money to madrassas.